"It's rare to find someone who does such things as a matter of course in the martial world. Lord, it seems I must stay here to treat the patients. What will you do? They are in critical condition, and it seems difficult to move them until they are somewhat stabilized."
"The Unryong Escort Agency does not abandon its comrades. I will leave half of the group here to wait, so please take care of the rest. I will repay this kindness when I return."
The lord said this and then turned his back.
"And, young brother. I don't know who you are, but I will definitely repay this kindness to you as well."
He deeply bowed to Jin Cheon-hee.
The sight of a bear-like man over two meters tall bowing to a small child was quite amusing, but no one laughed.
The kindness of the Unryong Escort Agency.
There is no one in the martial world who does not know the meaning of this.
As the lord walked away, Jin Cheon-hee watched intently.
Twenty-two had come, twelve had left, and ten remained.
He thought to himself, 'Unryong Escort Agency.
Baek Rin's Line.
And the fact that I can naturally speak and understand a language I've never heard before.
It seems I really have entered the world of a novel.
Haha, it's so absurd...'
Jin Cheon-hee didn't show it outwardly, but his energy drained away.
Soon, his legs trembled, and he collapsed to the ground.
'Uh, what's wrong with my legs?' He tried to put strength into his legs, but they wouldn't respond.
Then he noticed his hands were starting to shake as well.
Only then did he realize his condition. 'It's because the tension has been released.
Right.
I've been pushing myself all day.'
He had overworked the body of a child and hadn't been able to relax at all.
It was quite common for a novice surgeon to experience muscle spasms after a long surgery.
He sat for a while, catching his breath.
Finally, the trembling stopped, and in the distance, he saw a large, sturdy tent being set up, different from the makeshift one he had made.
The tent even had embroidery symbolizing the Unryong Escort Agency.
"Am I alive?" Only then did Jin Cheon-hee truly feel that he was alive.
"I'm alive..."
He muttered, watching the last rays of the sun disappear.
Only now did he truly feel alive.
"You pushed yourself too hard, Master. You didn't have to come all the way here..."
A handsome man who resembled a fox spoke to Jegal Rin.
Jegal Rin was lying inside a carriage.
It was a unique carriage, different from the usual ones.
The inside of the carriage was spacious, and on one side, there was even a fireplace.
A fire was burning continuously there.
On the fireplace was a kettle, and the water inside was boiling.
The fox-like man got up, opened the lid of the kettle, and put a towel inside.
Even in the boiling water, he didn't flinch and took out the towel, wringing it out before placing it on Jegal Rin's face.
Before the hot towel was placed, his face was extremely pale.
Like a dead man.
If Jin Cheon-hee had seen it, he would have exclaimed, 'It's exactly like the carriage from the novel! Baek Rin's Line's mobile resting and treatment carriage!'
And it was understandable.
The inside of the carriage was a rectangular space but quite spacious, about four pyeong.
If the carriage door was on the right wall, then on the left wall, there was a long bed.
It was literally made for Baek Rin's Line to lie down and rest comfortably.
"What else could I do? I owe a lot to the Unryong Escort Agency. And today, I saved his sworn brother, so I've repaid quite a bit of that debt."
"You mean the man named Un Byeok-du?"
"Yes. It's regrettable that others died, but... it's hard to compare to the death of a brother."
"Then, this means you've repaid your debt to the Unryong Escort Agency."
"If you count it that way, yes."
The handsome man sighed as he looked at Jegal Rin with the hot towel on his face.
"But you pushed yourself too hard. Really... you know that the Nine Yin Meridians are not easily managed."
"I know, but what can I do? When my family was in trouble, it was the lord of the Unryong Escort Agency who hid me. If I were to betray his request, I would be too ashamed to live."
"Sigh... Master, you really..."
The fox-like man reached out again, took the towel, soaked it in hot water, and placed it back on Jegal Rin's face.
"There's not much time left. I should have died long ago, but I've lived past forty, so I've lived long enough."
"You know I don't like it when you say such things, so why do you say them?"
"Yuho."
The fox-like man's name was Yuho.
When Yuho asked with a sharp expression, Jegal Rin answered with the towel still on his face.
"Suddenly, I feel like taking a disciple."
"Master..."
"Yes. Originally, I had no intention of leaving a successor. But my heart has changed."
"Is that child worth it?"
Jegal Rin nodded slightly.
"I want to talk to that child tomorrow, so please prepare for it."
Yuho bit his lip.
But then he nodded.
"As you command. But..."
"I know. Raising a disciple is not easy, and doing so might shorten my lifespan even more."
"You know that, yet you still do it."
Yuho grumbled as he put the towel back into the kettle.
"That child is worth it."
"Sigh, I don't understand. I just wish for you to live long, Master... That's all I want."
"Yes. I know your heart."
Jegal Rin smiled faintly.
But Yuho knew that when he made such an expression, he would never back down.
'What kind of child is it that makes him go this far? The great Baek Rin's Line.'
Yuho's heart was uneasy.
He hoped that the child would understand that this was not an easy opportunity, even if they didn't know the sacrifices made.
There was a smell of herbs.
A scent Jin Cheon-hee often smelled in the market as a child.
He tried to get up but let out a groan.
"Please stay lying down."
Jin Cheon-hee, writhing in pain, only opened his eyelids at the low voice.
In front of him were Baek Rin's Line and numerous escorts.
The sight of a skinny child surrounded by them was quite amusing, but everyone's expressions were serious.
'Wow... this... really... the looks are too burdensome...'
Jin Cheon-hee felt like he was breaking out in a cold sweat.
Inside some building.
There were several beds around.
On one of them lay the boy Jin Cheon-hee had treated—presumably Cheonma Yeo Ha-ryun.
'Where did the other two go?'
As he took in the scene, Jin Cheon-hee cautiously opened his mouth.
"Where is this...?"
"One of the branch offices of the Unryong Escort Agency. You were asleep the whole time we moved you. You weren't completely unconscious, so we left you as you were."
Jin Cheon-hee turned his eyes to the person closest to him who spoke.
A very handsome man with silver hair tied neatly back.
'Wow, up close, he really looks like a celebrity.
But is Baek Rin's Line younger or older than me?'
Being a typical Korean Confucian, Jin Cheon-hee compared his age to Baek Rin's Line but then stopped.
No matter what, he looked like a child now.
It would be laughable for someone like him to talk about age differences.
'By the way.
Even to a child like me, he speaks formally.
He must be quite a person.'
In martial arts novels, it was common to drop formalities with younger people, so Jin Cheon-hee thought to himself.
A sage.
And a man worthy of being called a righteous person.
As hard to read as he was, he was a man with many secrets, and as fleeting as he was.
He briefly explained what had happened while Jin Cheon-hee was unconscious.
Baek Rin's Line himself had finished the treatment, but if it hadn't been for Jin Cheon-hee's initial actions, they might all have died.
In other words, it was no exaggeration to say that Jin Cheon-hee had saved the patients' lives.
And there would be no major aftereffects, and thanks to his help, not only the Unryong Escort Agency but also the Gongsun Family would repay the favor.
"Uh... the Gongsun Family?"
"Yes. Do you remember the young lady with a sword at her waist among those you saved?"
"Ah. Yes."
One child.
One middle-aged man.
One young woman.
"She is the daughter of the Gongsun Family, who was on a martial arts training journey with the Unryong Escort Agency. And if it weren't for you, she might have..."
Baek Rin's Line trailed off.
The implication was clear to anyone.
Hearing this, Jin Cheon-hee was slightly dazed.
'The Gongsun Family... that's the family that appears later.
I just wanted to save someone who was dying... but is she an important bloodline of the Gongsun Family? Not just a regular bloodline, I guess.
For them to say they'll repay the favor like this.'
Perhaps because it was such a long novel, or maybe because his head was still foggy.
It took a while for the memories to start coming back.
The Gongsun Family.
As far as Jin Cheon-hee knew, the family was a group formed by the same bloodline.
But of course, treatment differed depending on whether one was a direct or collateral descendant.
A common story in martial arts novels.
No, a common story in real life too.
After finishing his thoughts, Jin Cheon-hee slowly got up.
It hurt, but he thought he should get up and have a conversation.
Then, a man next to him helped Jin Cheon-hee up by holding his body.
A quick glance revealed a handsome man with narrow eyes.
'Yuho, the chief steward who serves Baek Rin's Line... right? I think so.
Narrow-eyed characters aren't common.'
Thinking this, Jin Cheon-hee, now fully upright, looked straight at Baek Rin's Line.
"No. I only helped with my crude skills. It's just fortunate that it was of any use."
'I still don't fully understand what's going on... but for now.
It's good to be polite.'
Jin Cheon-hee acted with seriousness, thinking this.
And at this sight, Baek Rin's Line's eyes sparkled.
Jin Cheon-hee didn't notice this.
Baek Rin's Line spoke.
"First, here is the internal injury medicine. The Gongsun Family sent it to repay the favor."
Click—he opened the lid of the box.
On the red wood was a pine tree symbolizing the Gongsun Family, but Jin Cheon-hee had no way of knowing this.
Just opening the lid filled the room with a refreshing scent.
Like walking through a pine forest at dawn.
Everyone except Jin Cheon-hee gasped in unison.
Baek Song Hwan Dan!
A pill made from the resin collected from the roots of a pine tree over a hundred years old, grown in a special place.
It contained the life force of a hundred-year pine.
Though not as high-grade as the Cheon Song Dan made from the essence of a thousand-year pine, the Baek Song Hwan Dan was still an incredible pill.
Not only did it have effects as an internal injury medicine, but it also enhanced internal energy, making it even more valuable.